If box office predictions are to be believed, Sony's in for some good news with their latest Spider-Verse venture, Venom. The outright villain-turned-antihero in the pages of Marvel Comics and throughout all other media will get his first title treatment in Ruben Fleischer's decidedly different take on comic book superhero cinema, one that has Oscar-nominee Tom Hardy set to play the title role and his human alter ego, Eddie Brock.

As THR reports, box office targets for Venom are currently somewhere in the range of $55 to $65 million in domestic ticket sales during the weekend of October 5th. THR's sources, whoever they may be, place the pic on the high end, while Sony insiders are playing a bit more conservative with their estimates. Either way, Venom is poised to perform better than the top October debut weekend of all time, Alfonso Cuarón's 2013 sci-fi pic Gravity, which took home $55.8 million (not adjusted for inflation). Comparable competition includes The Martian with $54.3 million and Paranormal Activity 3 with $52.6 million. Venom could either eke by these marks or blow them out of the water. Hardy stars alongside Woody Harrelson, Riz Ahmed, Michelle Williams, Jenny Slate and Scott Haze in the $100 million-budgeted film co-produced by China's multinational conglomerate, Tencent.

a-star-is-born-poster
Image via Warner Bros.

Complicating matters will be the same-date release of Warner Bros.' A Star Is Born, the feature directorial debut of star Bradley Cooper that co-stars Lady Gaga in the lead. The studio is aiming for a $25 million domestic debut while insiders are more confident, predicting $28 to $30 million. The buzzworthy film is already a critical darling. Its debut at the Venice International Film Festival was well-received, and the praise continued during its recent screening at TIFF. Our own Adam Chitwood likes its Oscar chances, and Matt Goldberg gave it a B+ in his review.

The official synopsis describes the film as a "new take on the tragic love story, [Cooper] plays seasoned musician Jackson Maine, who discovers—and falls in love with—struggling artist Ally (Gaga). She has just about given up on her dream to make it big as a singer… until Jack coaxes her into the spotlight. But even as Ally’s career takes off, the personal side of their relationship is breaking down, as Jack fights an ongoing battle with his own internal demons."

Which film(s) will you be seeing the first weekend in October? Let us know in the comments below!